This invention relates generally to data collection systems, and more specifically to a ticket collection system for passenger mass transportation system, in the present embodiment a passenger railroad system. The invention provides for a device to assist conductors in collecting and reading passenger tickets, converting the ticket data into an electronic format, and transferring the data from the train to a central computer, where the information is made available to the railroad company for use in selling tickets and maintaining lists of passengers on trains. The invention is capable of receiving such data from multiple trains operating simultaneously.
Currently, in modern passenger rail systems, passengers carry paper tickets with them onto trains. Conductors walk through the trains after every stop and collect tickets from new passengers who have boarded the train. Many passengers purchase their tickets prior to boarding a train, either at a train station, from the train company or through a travel agent. If the passenger does not have a ticket, the conductor manually writes out or punches a ticket and sells it for cash or by credit card to the passenger. After collecting tickets from each passenger, the conductor generally issues each passenger a paper seat check that indicates the destination of that passenger. The conductor may mark the seat check by manually punching holes in it. A need exists to provide for an automated ticket collection system which reduces the manual labor involved in selling, collecting and processing tickets and generating seat checks on board a train.
One problem with the current manual process is that the train company does not have timely information about the number or identity of passengers on the train until the trip is over, the conductor turns in the tickets, and the tickets are counted and read. Even though some or all of the seats on certain trains are reserved, the train company only knows which passengers plan to be on which trains, but does not know which passengers or how many actually board each train. Also, the train company does not know how many seats on each train have actually been used, since the tickets are collected after the train leaves the station. Because the train can spend many hours between train stations, and in some cases only stopping at a given station for several minutes, many times there is no opportunity to find out how many seats are taken on a train until the train reaches its final destination, several days after its departure. This prevents timely information from being available to the train reservation system to sell empty seats for trains en route. Similarly, because the conductor on the train is isolated from the train reservation system, he or she is unaware of cancellations of seats, particularly upgraded seats (such as business class or first class), which he or she might be able to sell to passengers already on the train.
The problems described arise in part because trains typically do not have a pre-boarding stage, as is frequently found on airlines. While it would be possible to institute a pre-boarding stage, this is generally not desirable since one of the competitive advantages trains have over other forms of transportation is the quick boarding process. Typically, customers expect to arrive at the station only minutes before the train arrives, as compared with airlines where a minimum of an hour pre-arrival is often required. Also, many train stations are unmanned, making pre-boarding impractical. A system that could communicate tickets, reservation sales and seat class between trains and the train company's central computer while the train is en route is therefore desirable.
Once tickets are collected by the conductors on the trains, the conductors take the tickets back to their work area on the train and sort and count the tickets manually. The conductor retains the tickets until the end of the trip and then turns them over to an administrative office. These tickets are then manually reviewed by data processing personnel, who enter in the ticket numbers into the train company's computer system. It is not until this process is completed that the train company knows that a ticket that was previously sold has been used, or which passengers have traveled on which train. A system that could immediately recognize ticket number and enter them into the train company's computer systems without human intervention is desirable. This would give the conductors more time to attend to passenger needs, reduce the number of administrative and data entry personnel needed off the train, and increase the accuracy of the data collected.
As previously discussed, conductors sometimes sell tickets on the train by credit card. However, because the train cannot communicate with the credit card issuer, the conductor has no means of knowing whether a credit card is valid or not. This may result in the conductor selling tickets to passengers who give credit cards that have been stolen or revoked or have exceeded their credit limit. Because of this greater risk, credit card issuers typically charge higher fees for use of credit cards on trains due to the inability to detect fraud. In addition, due to delays in manual processing of credit card transactions, there is a substantial delay in receiving the funds for on-board credit card sales. A need therefore also exists for a fare collection system that can validate credit card information in a timely manner.
As the economy moves increasingly towards electronic commerce, smart cards are becoming more prevalent. Smart cards are credit card size devices with embedded integrated circuits capable of storing data. Smart cards can store electronic cash or, in the context of a train system, they can store prepaid trips and passenger data. A need, therefore, exists for a fare collection system capable of processing smart cards in lieu of paper tickets.
Another problem with the current system is that no list of passengers, typically called a passenger manifest, can be generated for any train until after a train has completed its trip. Aside from the previously discussed loss of revenue, this creates a safety hazard. In the event of a train accident, the train company is unable to determine the exact number and identity of passengers on the train for rescue workers to look for. It also makes it difficult in times of crisis for the train company to provide timely and accurate information to families of persons who may be on a train. A need therefore also exists for a system which can transfer information about passengers from the train, while it is en route, and use this information to generate a passenger manifest.